There are many applications for which precise control over the amount and/or rate at which a fluid is dispensed by a pumping apparatus is necessary. In semiconductor processing, for example, it is important to control the amount and rate at which photochemicals, such as photoresist chemicals, are applied to a semiconductor wafer. The coatings applied to semiconductor wafers during processing typically require a flatness across the surface of the wafer that is measured in angstroms. The rates at which processing chemicals are applied to the wafer has to be controlled in order to ensure that the processing liquid is applied uniformly.
Pumps and the related system components for dispensing a fluid to a wafer generally have some amount of compliance. That is, they tend to expand in size based on the amount of pressure asserted on them. Consequently, some amount of work produced by the pump goes to the system compliance rather than moving fluid. If the pump and system compliance is not accounted for, the pump can dispense less fluid than intended or can produce a dispense with poor fluid characteristics. Therefore, there is a need for a system and method to account for the overall compliance of a dispense system.